Hina, Arare, and Hana are the three sisters of Kyoto’s oldest confectionery shop, Fukuya. Although they each have different personalities, they all take pride in their shop. Fukuyadou-honpo will bring you a taste of the ancient capital, Kyoto, with a shrewd mother, sharp-tongued grandpa, and a host of other characters who bring life to the great city.

Well, I have to say it's a good manga for those interested in the japanese culture, since there are some stuff explained about the shop and the stuff they sell there (plus the translator notes on the sweets is really nice), about Kyoto and some other references. Other than that, the plot is character driven, focused on the three sisters, their interaction and their life in general. As a josei manga, I say it's among my favorites.

This is a great manga for those who like josei series, slice-of-life manga, traditional Japanese culture, unique and strong female leads, family stories, and slow romances. The three siblings, the mother, the men, their relatives... everyone has a truly unique personality and an interesting story in their past. The art is the sort of loosely-defined, flowy 90's art and the standard of beauty may not be the same as the current manga standard, but the characters are all charming in their own way.

I love the sense of Kyoto culture you get at the very beginning. You also get a sense of familial ties and duties in Japan, of the insidious way scandal creeps into the home (although it's not so dramatic as I make it sound), and of the strange love/rivalry relationship between siblings. This story has a lot of startling realism mixed in, and the surprises and plot twists integrate well into the story flow. Even the dramatic events keep the same slow-paced feeling.

The ending is not so important as the process to get there. Each week I come away wanting more, yet satisfied with the latest chapter. It's a series definitely worth waiting for, and the scanlator has been very consistent for the last half-year in releasing it. Highly recommended.

Considering how this series started in 1995 and then thinking about other works that came out from that period, it's definitely easy to forgive in the drawings dept. Other than that, this is a pretty good manga series. It took awhile for me to warm up to reading this because I thought it was going to be boring and the fact that it was 11 volumes. I didn't want to invest my time reading only a few chapters/volumes and be left hanging in the middle because it wasn't scanlated all the way. But thank goodness that the scanlators are very consistent in their releases, which was why I attempted to read it in the first place I immediately got hooked after reading the first volume. The storyline is pretty good. It's definitely a breath of fresh air reading this. I like how each sister gets their own story and that the entire story is not on romance alone, but also deals with the family itself and the life revolving their shop. (hmm, I thought this was a slice-of-life genre, but I guess they took that down.) It's somewhat obvious what's going to happen in the end, but I think the way the mangaka delicately (or strategically) mapped out the storyline, makes this a worthwhile journey to take up.

The summary and the cover does not do this manga justice. I think manga these days are improving in art definitely, but the quality of story is declining. Fukuyadou Honpo is refreshing and unique. It brings something new to the table. This manga is definitely one worth reading. The characters are so well developed, and the plot is impeccable. I am so grateful that this series is being scanlated. Stick with the art for a bit. I, for one, was okay with it, but there seems to be people that don't appreciate it as much. Once you get past it, you will be so thankful that you stuck with the series. READ IT!

Since there is such a narrow selection of translated josei manga, finding one this good is quite the catch. Seriously, it's been a a while since not one of the characters annoyed me. Here, all of them are very different, not stereotypical at all AND they don't cease to strike me as charming as I'm looking forward to reading a new chapter every week. You actually can't predict what's going to happen next, which is very rare. Overall, it's a great read. Definitely recommended.

I am a big fan of josei mangas so I immediately started reading Fukuyadou Honpo despite the warning that it is oddly illustrated. I always expect that the plot in josei mangas matter more than the art so I ignored the unrefined sketches in the first few chapters. After reading the first volume, I decided to finish the whole 50 chapters in one day.

All three women are relatable from their strengths to their flaws. There really were moments when I would hate each of them for their bad decisions and then later love them for how they redeemed themselves from their mistakes. The rollercoaster of feelings made me realize how human this piece of work is. Even the cultural references about Kyoto feel real. It's like I'm a spectator from a true Kyoto neighborhood where three lovely sisters of a famous shop is located.

I loved the eldest daughter's parts mainly because of the psychological battles she's fought. The middle daughter, on the other hand, resembled the standard shoujo heroine stereotype who is headstrong and determined. The youngest daughter is the narrator over the long time periods. She seems to be the glue that keeps the family together - a mix of her first oneechan's refined character and her second oneechan's strong heart.

My friend recommended this series and I was kinda hesitant to read this. I thought it started in 1995 so the art is never good. But the art turned out to be okay, the kimonos are so beautiful and Ken-chan is so handsome :xThe story is really good, much much better than what I expected. It made my eyes wet at so many parts but never to the point that I could cry, cause after some bad thing happens, everything is solved, and I'm so happy that couldn't cry. I really love the romance in this series, especially the couple Arare and Kenji. I can see somewhere in Arare the picture of me: a straight-forward, hot-tempered, fun-loving girl who wants to be loved

It is like an ordinary meal at first, yet once you savor it it'll left a satisfying warm feeling within.Each arcs is endearing, and the cultural background is charming. You would want to visit Kyoto after reading this^^.

If only this goes to the screen, it would be an enchanting dorama with those Wagashi, Kyoto and kimono color.. (take dorama Asuka for example). I am grateful I found this manga.

oh and many commented the art, but just dig to several chapters and you'll embrace it thoroughly. And the art soften and refined towards the story. I think this style is better and more suitable than those 'super-cute-super-handsome shoujo style' or the 'mature and realistic adult manga style'.This has its own charm (^___^)

I was holding off reading this series for a while because I thought it'd be boring but was I wrong. This manga is completely unique, in terms of characters and plot. The choices and situations the characters face are real and there is never a miracle or a knight in shining armor to save anyone. It's also a beautiful glimpse into the ancient culture in Kyoto and wagashi/Japanese sweets (the scanlators include a different sweet at the end of each chapter).

It's a very refreshing story and, like another reviewer said, it never leaves a bad taste in your mouth. You'll always be on edge for the next chapter. Don't let the art turn you away from a great story.

(The 8.6 rating here is a tragedy. This is at least a 9.3, if not more)!

I felt so disappointed and I can't find a way to express that disappointment enough.

It, by far, is one of the best shoujo I've read. Sure, the art is not that great but as long as it provides the emotional rides to the readers then it is fine at its best, even unique I dare say. It may seem as a "typical" romance storyline from the author, yet it is not. I can't describe how different it is compare to countless titles that copy each others out there. I just like it cause it gets the most emotion out of myself.

And yes, I am disappointed because before, the rating was 9.1 or more. Now it's down to 8.5. What's more is that it's a 7 something over MyAnimeList. Now I hate that list! Damn! Why? Don't look down on the art! My art teacher once told me: you now look at a beautiful picture, what do you see? Nothing but hey it's really beautiful. But if art can send a message without being beautiful, it worths millions.